Chapter 5 005 Childhood Friend
Guan Canghai went out to visit his old friends, leaving only the three young people at home.
Childhood friends who have been friends for over a decade can have endless things to talk about when they get together.
Xu Chengcai lives in the east wing of the front yard. He has three older brothers. His second brother signed up to go to Xinjiang five years ago. In addition to him, his parents, his eldest brother and sister-in-law, his third brother and sister-in-law, three nephews and a niece, there is also a younger sister who is only one year younger than him.
After graduating from high school, Lin Sitian took over her mother's job as a toll collector in the car factory's medical clinic.
Xu Chengcai did not continue to high school after graduating from junior high school. He first worked as an apprentice carpenter in a car factory for three years. The carpenter took the apprentice's gifts but did not pass on any skills.
Seeing that there was no hope of getting a permanent position, he happened to catch up with the fact that Zhuoyue Garment Factory needed to recruit a batch of temporary workers to rush production. Guan Yuehe found him a mentor to learn how to use a sewing machine, and that's how he got a job as a temporary worker at the garment factory.
Last year, Zhuoyue Garment Factory received a large order from another province, and almost all of its temporary workers were promoted to permanent employees.
These two usually live at home and have heard a lot about what's going on in their own yard and other large courtyards. Moreover, they are quite gossipy in private and can talk about every single household in the entire Ginkgo Alley.
This family's brothers turned against each other over the selection of people to be sent to the countryside; that family's parents fought because of favoritism; this family's husband was having affairs; that family's child was spoiled rotten...
Guan Yuehe was always amazed by her neighbors in the alley.
This time, however, Lin Sitian and Xu Chengcai had no interest in gossiping about others; all they wanted to know was how Guan Yuehe would decorate their new home.
They were so excited they were rubbing their fists together, as if they themselves had been assigned rooms.
Xu Chengcai suddenly remembered something important. "Hey, wait a minute, shouldn't we write to Lao Ding to let him know? When you move to your new house, we didn't bring him along when we gave him gifts. He'll definitely be angry when he comes back."
Lin Sitian nodded, "Yes, I have to say."
Even Guan Yuehe agreed.
The four of them grew up together, but only Ding Xuewen was sent to the countryside as an educated youth.
Ding Xuewen's family lived in the back house of the front yard, in courtyard number three. His family was the largest. His father passed away a few years ago, and his mother raised him and his brothers by herself. He had three older brothers who were already married and had their own families, and a younger brother who was still in elementary school.
Ding Xuewen was the oldest of the four, but he started school the latest. When he graduated from high school, the car factory was recruiting workers. He applied for the position of broadcaster, but he didn't pass the exam.
Guan Yuehe wanted to try to get him a temporary job at the garment factory, but to her surprise, his family signed him up for the rural work assignment without saying a word.
I've been in Northeast China for a year and a half, and I only receive a letter every two or three months.
When Ding Xuewen left home to go to the countryside, his family prepared very little for him. The three of them secretly saved up their tickets for a while, bought supplies, and sent them over, which helped Ding Xuewen survive his first winter in Northeast China.
Getting a new apartment or moving to a new home are major life events and joyous occasions, so it's essential to tell him about them.
“I’ll write to him too, and we’ll put it in an envelope and send it together.”
While they were discussing whether to send a washbasin or a thermos, Guan Yuehe mentioned her plan to move to a different house.
"Really?! Then we'll live together from now on! The left wing of courtyard number two, isn't that right next to my house?!" Lin Sitian exclaimed with delight.
After Guan Yuehe moved to the garment factory, it became less convenient for them to get together and have fun.
Xu Cheng was both happy that she was still living in Ginkgo Hutong and felt sorry for her.
Like Guan Canghai, he felt that apartment buildings were better than bungalows.
But since she had already made up her mind, Xu Cheng could only say the good things: "Then you've really become a big spender, living in a 30-square-meter house all by yourself."
He added, "Be careful, someone might want to ask to stay at your place."
Lin Sitian laughed so hard she bent over, remembering the gossip she had overheard.
After she finished laughing, she said, "Yesterday I overheard Aunt Hu and your sister-in-law in the bathroom saying that you should date Yuehe so you can move out. Your sister-in-law even said it was a good idea. Haha, they really know how to come up with ideas."
Xu Cheng and Guan Yuehe looked disgusted: "Ugh..."
The four of them had all seen the other three looking disheveled; they were too familiar with each other. They had even had the wicked thought of kicking each other into a mud pit, but they never let it veer into romantic feelings.
"Any of the men in your factory that you've taken a fancy to?" Lin Sitian nudged Guan Yuehe's arm.
Guan Yuehe spread her hands, her attitude clear.
Lin Sitian wasn't surprised and laughed, "My mom said the four of us are all a bit off, otherwise we wouldn't be able to get along, haha!"
"Aunt Fang is right, haha..."
After the joke, Guan Yuehe instructed, "The house swap hasn't been finalized yet, so you two are not allowed to tell anyone!"
Alright!
Guan Yuehe wasn't worried. The four of them never shared their private secrets with anyone else, and they kept them a secret even from their family.
"Once I move to the next courtyard, you can come to my house after get off work," Guan Yuehe said contentedly. "Finally, I don't have to worry about others picking my locks anymore."
You can stock up on cookies, candy, sunflower seeds, etc. at home...
—
Knowing that Guan Yuehe planned to move to the neighboring No. 2 courtyard and would have plenty of time to see each other in the future, Lin Sitian and Xu Chengcai went home to rest.
Especially Xu Chengcai.
The dark circles under his eyes are from working consecutive night shifts.
Guan Yuehe couldn't help but say, "Working overtime can earn you more money, but you can't ruin your health."
Xu Cheng waved his hand with a smile, saying that he knew what he was doing, "I'll only be busy for another half a month at most, and the later orders aren't that urgent."
Knowing that he wanted to save more money so he could move out and avoid having to hand over a dozen yuan of his salary every month and be bullied by his brother and sister-in-law, Guan Yuehe didn't try to persuade him any further.
They had just left when their families returned.
"Second Brother T".
The second brother inherited his grandfather's dimples and always had a smile on his face; he seemed to have the best temper in the family.
Guan Yuehua, standing in front of Guan Yuehe, snorted in dissatisfaction.
She's standing right in front of you, and you act like you don't see her? She's gotten too big for her britches and has no respect for her elders.
Guan Yuehe hummed louder than her, and after humming, she turned her back to her and instead turned to ask her second brother, Guan Weiguo, how many days he could stay this time.
Enraged, Guan Yuehua turned around and rushed into the kitchen to help.
Guan Weiguo didn't miss the flash of displeasure in his sister-in-law's eyes when she heard his younger sister ask how many days he was staying, but he pretended not to see it.
He patted his younger sister's head with a smile, "You have to go back after you finish eating, there are still things to do at home. I'll come and stay for a few more days after you move into your new house."
His little sister is really something!
When he came to this house in the city before, the people in the courtyard would gossip a lot, saying that Yuehe was the second most useless person in the family, and he was the least promising one.
Look at the past two or three years, who doesn't praise Yuehe's intelligence?
Before the brother and sister could exchange more than a few words, Guan Yuehua called out from the kitchen, "Guan Yuehe, come and help."
Jiang Guiying laughed and scolded, "You two are really like cats and dogs!"
The kitchen was small, not big enough for three or four people to work together. Guan Yuehe even felt cramped just standing at the door.
In reality, Guan Yuehua didn't really need her to do anything.
Jiang Guiying was especially happy today. The house exchange was basically settled, and she was just waiting for Yuehe to receive the house.
The aroma of stewed fish wafted out, and the little boy with a dog's nose stood at the door, sniffing the smell intently.
The two sons of Xu Chengcai's eldest brother, the three grandchildren of Uncle Ding's family, and the son of Zhang Desheng who lived in the first room of the west wing of the front yard, a total of six children, ranging from three to ten years old, were staring longingly at the adults in the Xu family's living room.
Adults are too embarrassed to directly shoo away children, but Guan Aiguo, who is only twelve years old, has no such concerns.
"Brother Xu! Uncle Ding! Teacher Zhang! Your children are all here with us!"
If someone in the neighborhood has extra bone broth, they might share some with the kids, but sharing meat is out of the question. Even Grandpa Lin's family in the right wing isn't rich enough to share meat with the neighbor's children!
If you don't want to separate, then have the adults call the child back. Otherwise, what's with staring at them like that?
These are all rules that everyone agrees on.
But none of the families in the front yard responded.
Guan Aiguo urged the children to go back, but they seemed not to understand and remained motionless. The youngest one was smacking his thumb.
Guan Aiguo strode towards the front yard, calling out, "Brother Xu! Uncle Ding! Teacher Zhang! Your children are all here! If they just stand there watching, how are we supposed to eat?"
"Oh dear, these two little rascals!" Aunt Xu said with a smile as she came out, wiping her hands. "We didn't buy any meat at home, and without any meat, Da Bao and Er Bao have probably forgotten what meat tastes like..."
Seeing that Guan Aiguo didn't respond at all, Sister-in-law Xu felt embarrassed and called to Da Bao and Er Bao in the backyard to come home.
"Don't eat if you're not coming back!"
After waiting for a while, Da Bao and Er Bao still hadn't returned, so Sister-in-law Xu went to the backyard to pull the children away with a gloomy expression.
The two children cried and begged for meat.
"Liar! We're the only ones without meat to eat, boohoo..."
Waking up, Xu Cheng walked out in a daze, his hair a mess, still not understanding what was going on.
But the argument at home was so heated it was practically tearing the roof off. The sister-in-law was indirectly criticizing the family, saying that with five workers, they couldn't even afford meat, and she didn't know where all their monthly wages went. She also berated the brother for being honest but clueless, handing over every penny he earned and not keeping any extra bonuses for himself...
Xu Chengcai's mind cleared up, and he pursed his lips without saying a word. His sister-in-law was betting on both her younger sister and him.
Guan Aiguo curled his lip, thinking to himself: Sister-in-law Xu has been saying these things over and over again for more than half a year, and he is tired of hearing them.
"Teacher Zhang..."
The door to the first room in the west wing opened, and Zhang Desheng's wife, Zhang Ersao, came out and glared fiercely at Guan Aiguo.
She cursed the entire Guan family in her mind—a family of misers! What's wrong with giving a child a bite of meat? They only have one child, Jin Guang!
When she spoke, she seemed very reasonable: "Your teacher Zhang isn't home. She was cooking at home and didn't hear us. I'll go call them right now."
Guan Aiguo chuckled. He had just seen Teacher Zhang through the crack in the door. He was just pretending!
The Ding family members didn't show up, but the three Ding children, seeing the other boys being taken away by the adults, also slunk back.
After throwing things around in the house for a while, Aunt Ding started crying, saying that it wasn't easy being an old widow.
—
Guan Aiguo was startled: "Second sister, you're giving me the creeps."
Guan Yuehe patted his shoulder, "You should visit Courtyard No. 2 more often in the future."
Why?
"You have a sharp tongue."
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